Yoshimi Ozaki, winner of the last Tokyo Women's Marathon (© Kazuaki Matsunaga/Agence SHOT)
Overhauling prerace favourite Yoko Shibui in the 38th kilometre, Yoshimi Ozaki won the final edition of the Tokyo Women’s Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, on Sunday.
Her winning time, 2:23:30, was the third fastest time over the tough course in Tokyo. For Ozaki, who is coached by Sachiko Yamashita, the 1991 World Championships silver medallist at the Marathon, it was her second Marathon as well as her first win at this classic distance.
“I am surprised with my win, but I am happy to be the winner of the final edition of this historic race,” Ozaki said. She said she didn’t realize she could win until 40Km after passing both Yuri Kano and Shibui over the steepest part of the closing hill.
Kano finished second with 2:24:27, while Mara Yamauchi was third with 2:25:03. “I was only thinking about winning,” Kano said. “I knew Shibui was going to push the pace. If it was not an over-ambitious pace, I was going with her pace. Nearing 10Km I realized it was a bit fast, so I held back thinking I can overtake her after 30Km. But when the time to overtake Shibui came, Ozaki was there.”
The top three finishers all recorded personal bests. “The race condition was quite good,” said Yamauchi of Great Britain. “There was no wind and the rain stopped before the start time. I thought I could run 2:23, so I went out with such a pace. The race went almost as planned. My half marathon split, 1:11:28, was according to my plan. One problem was that I could not pick up the pace near the end.”
Shibui finished a disappointing fourth with 2:25:51. “My problem was the last 5Km. If I train to improve this part of the race, then I can win the marathon,” Shibui said.
For Ozaki, it was her best day of her running career.
“When I finished second in Nagoya earlier this year, I realized the difference between being first and second,” Ozaki said. “Yurika Nakamura (who won in Nagoya ahead of Ozaki) was a celebrity, while I was a relative unknown. That realization motivated me during my training leading up to this race.”
Being the first Japanese in the race, Ozaki gained automatic selection to the Japanese Marathon team for the 2009 World Championships team in Berlin. “It (making the team) has not sunk in yet. The next step for me is to train hard so I can maintain a faster pace. As for Berlin, I don’t want to be another runner in the field. I want to contend for a medal.”
On the other hand, Shibui who once again failed to make the marathon team, said she might contest the Nagoya Women’s Marathon to make another attempt to earn selection to the World Championships squad.
How the race unfolded
Although the race organisers did not provide any pace setters, the race still started on record pace with Shibui in the lead. Shibui took the lead immediately and passed 400m in approximately 81 seconds and 1 Km in 3:18. “I did not have any planned pace in my mind. I just run as I felt,” Shibui said.
Soon the pack of four – Shibui, Ozaki, Kano and Magdaline Chemjor – broke away from the chase pack, which include Yamauchi and Salina Kosgei. “The lead pack was going too fast, I thought. I was sure they were going to come back to me,” said Yamauchi.
With three runners in tow, Shibui went through 5Km in 16:22, seventeen seconds ahead of the chase pack. It was faster than the split Mizuki Noguchi recorded, 16:38, when she set the course record last year. In fact it was even faster than Eri Yamaguchi’s split of 16:24, recorded in the 1999 edition of the race when she set the previous course record. Soon, while Shibui and Chemjor pushed the pace in front, Kano and Ozaki fell several steps behind. The gap started to grow, and while Shibui and Chemjor passed 10Km in 32:55 (16:33 for 5Km to 10Km), Ozaki and Kano were 12 seconds behind, and Yamauchi and Kosgei another 28 seconds back.
Although Kano fell behind Ozaki around 11Km, she fought back and passed Ozaki by 13Km. Meanwhile, the torrid pace set by Shibui was too much for Chemjor, who fell behind Shibui by 12Km. Two kilometres later Kano and Ozaki caught Chemjor, who could not keep up with them. Chemjor eventually finished 14th with 2:46:18.
Soon Kano moved significantly ahead of Ozaki. Shibui passed 15Km in 49:40 (16:45) and 20Km in 1:06:26(16:46). By half way (1:10:07) Shibui was in a commanding lead with Kano 36 seconds behind followed by Yoshimi Ozaki, who was 61 seconds behind Shibui. Yamauchi was another 20 seconds behind. At 24.6Km, Yamauchi moved into third, just ahead of Chemjor. “When I passed Ozaki, she was breathing hard. So I can leave her behind,” said Yamauchi. However Ozaki stuck on. “I was in a bad patch, but I realized that if I stuck on the bad patch will eventually go away. That is how it was in training,” said Ozaki.
Shibui’s pace was dropping, but she still covered 20Km to 25Km in 16:49 but she was slowing down. For the first time in the race, Shibui needed over 17 minutes (17:06 (1:40:21) to cover a five kilometre stretch, from 25 to 30Km. Just the before 35Km checkpoint, Yamauchi fell behind Ozaki to fourth place and Shibui continued to slow down. She took 17:44 for 5Km between 30 and 35Km, and thus the gap between Kano and Shibui has shrunk from 53 second to 41 seconds in this 5Km.
Ozaki who was 39 seconds behind Kano at 30Km caught Kano at 37.8Km. Over the steepest part of the hill, Ozaki was on the roll. She then caught faltering Shibui at 38.4Km to take over the lead. Next, at 38.9Km Kano also caught Shibui. Ozaki passed 40Km in 2:16:17 (17:14 from 35Km to 40Km). At 40.9Km Mara Yamauchi caught Shibui to move up to third. Ozaki continued to extend her lead over the rest of the field and won by 56 seconds over Kano and Yamauchi.
Despite her fourth place effort, Shibui said she’s not yet giving on the Marathon.
“I will definitely continue to run the marathon until I win one. Of course I will continue to run afterward too,” said Shibui, still the second fastest Japanese marathon runner.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
Leading Results:
Weather at the start: temperature 15.5C; humidity 90%; wind 1.0m/s East South East
1. Yoshimi Ozaki 2:23:30 - (16:23, 33:07, 50:03,1:07:17, 1:24:47, 1:41:53, 1:59:03, 2:16:17)
2. Yuri Kano 2:24: 27
3. Mara Yamauchi (GBR) 2:25:03
4. Yoko Shibui 2:25:51
5. Salina Kosgei (KEN) 2:30:34
6. Svetlana Zakharova (RUS) 2:30:42
7. Yukiko Matsubara 2:34:39
8. Ayumi Hayashi 2:35:04
9. Derartu Tulu (ETH) 2:36:47
10. Chihiro Tanaka 2:37:03
11. Yuka Aikawa 2:40:43
